Chapter 42 – Presents

Translator: Isekai Shousetsu

“Hey…what’cha doin?” (Almis)

“I’m making a wand” (Tetra)

A Wand? Tetra is putting together parts-like objects to make something. She’s putting several disks the size of an adult’s wrist on one thin rod. The disks were lined with geometrical patterns. Crystals were embedded on their tips.

“Teach me about it. (Almis)

“Alright” (Tetra)

Tetra raises her arms and makes her small white palms face me. My hair then sways lightly. She had cast wind magic.

“High-level sorcerers around my level can use magic without magic squares. However,…” As she said this, Tetra takes out a piece of paper and begins drawing a magic square. She then faces me just like before. This time, the geometric patterns shine brightly and a stronger wind blows towards me.

“If you use a magic square, the efficacy of the magic invocation becomes better. And since you can only use magical power that you yourself have, using a magic square can make you use magic indefinitely.” (Tetra)

I see. Even though I’m not a magician, I was paying attention only to using magic, but there are also advantages like that, huh?

“But, there’s one problem. Since a magic square is something fixed, you can only use the same amount of power and the same kind of magic. Thus, it’s not really practical in battle. Plus, the amount of information you can embed in a paper-based magic square is limited.” (Tetra)

Certainly. It’s not applicable for battle. What makes magic appealing after all is that you can vary your approach against the enemy. It’s no different from just throwing spears against the enemy if you can only use one type of magic. It’s not something you carry in large quantities.

According to Tetra, the strength of the magic depends upon the size of the magic square. Therefore, you’d need quite a large square just to be able to hurt a person. The size would make it totally useless.

“That’s why I’m carving up a magic square on a round wooden board (disk). I need to carefully embed information on the magic squares one by one. And when you bind together several disks…” (Tetra)

Tetra points a finished wand at me. It shines brightly and thereafter blows an even stronger wind. It has quite the power.

“Furthermore, if you rotate the connection like this, you can now use a completely different type of magic.” (Tetra)

Tetra then rotates several disks. She points upwards then a flame rages from the wand.

“But then what would you do about the power?” (Almis)

The disks are quite smaller than the paper magic squares. Saying you’ll put together more and more is somewhat…

“That won’t be a problem.”

Tetra confidently declares.

“Listen here, using the previous magic square, the amount of information embedded is represented by the quadratic/square formed by the X (horizontal) axis and the Y (vertical) axis. Using this wand, however, you add a third Z (height) axis. Therefore the amount of information embedded would turn cubic! (Tetra)

You…when the hell did you get so smart?

“So, what about the crystal?” (Almis)

“It’s from an ornament we received from a person named ‘Regal DeBell.’ Since it’s an ornament, it’s somewhat useless so I disassembled it. A high quality transparent crystal can transmit 99% of magic without sullying magical style. It also helps with fire-based magic. Since the main body of the wand is wooden, it would burn should you use fire magic. But if you attach the crystal then the problem would be solved since it doesn’t burn. Plus, it looks cooler this way.” (Tetra)

I see. I completely don’t understand. Yes. Yes.

Regal, huh. I’m sorry but my wife just went and disassembled your gift.

“By the way, Almis. You seem to have something on your mind? Is there anything wrong?” (Tetra)

“It’s just that Bartolo’s wife had recently given birth, right? I don’t know what kind of gift I should bring for the birth celebrations.”

I asked Bartolo and he said you’d typically give booze. Of course, the sponsor would naturally bring out liquor. But participants are encouraged to bring more so everyone could drink and get drunk, he said. Now that I think of it, a lot of the different clans each brought some kind of liquor when we held our wedding. I guess the next logical thing would be to bring something like an ornament, or a charm, or some high-class clothing or something for the child to use.

“Wouldn’t honey be fine? Even King Rosyth said so. Look, you can’t bring that much at the party right?” (Tetra)

“Certainly…Hmmm…paper would…paper would be strange for a gift, no? I guess I should stop worrying and just bring some liquor or maybe food, yes?” (Almis)

“But can you prepare something delicious for them?” (Tetra)

Well, the bread that we make is very delicious. But how would they read bringing bread as a gift? It’s a staple food, you know. Nevertheless, it’s surely more delicious than what Bartolo could prepare.

Ahh. This is not working. My honor would shatter at this rate.

Even if Bartolo brought out even the most basic food and ingredients, it should still be a no-go. Then I guess, it really should be the liquor, huh.

“Did you come up with anything?” (Tetra)

“Well. I guess I’ll make some spirits (distilled alcohol).” (Almis)

The alcohol content of this world’s liquor is unusually low. When you speak of wines, then it’s basically grape juice infused with a little alcohol. Rather than for getting drunk, they usually treat it as hydration or something to make hard water on the Adernia peninsula easier to drink.

It’s also expensive but only 3% alcohol. Furthermore, it can go higher up to 5% but the highest it can go is only 10%. I only measure it by my taste, by the way.

Spirits have around 40% alcohol so it should certainly be well-received. As for wine, we have those stocked by King Ferrum and those we made in the village.

Then I can make enough spirits to serve the banquet.

There’s no time for it to mature so I can’t guarantee it would taste good but it won’t matter anyway since the wine in the Adernia Peninusla doesn’t taste good from the very beginning. I can only compensate for the taste with the higher alcohol content. Everybody likes booze that can get you drunk over those that taste good anyway. I should be able to hit the bullseye by mixing the spirits with grape juice.

It’s been around six months since Bartolo’s child was born. We’re in the fifth month of the year now (Note: I don’t know how to name the month (no name) nor how many months are there in a year in this world.)

Therefore, I still have a month before the big day.

The process for making spirits is simple. I should just reproduce the distillation of the water-ethanol mixture experiment I did when I was in middle school.

It’s just that there’s one problem.

“I need some special equipment, huh.” (Almis)

“Then isn’t it hopeless?” (Tetra)

“No. We should be fine. I can just make it.”

Even though I can’t make a flask, I can just use some bronze container as a substitute. Shall I ask help from the blacksmiths?

“But, milord, the swords and spears for the tax would be…” (Blacksmith)

“You can make it later. I’ll give you a two-month extension. Don’t worry, I’ll properly buy pay for the Bronze flask with some wheat.” (Almis)

The blacksmiths became a little surprised as they heard my answer.

“…You…you’ll pay for the bronze flask, milord?”

“Yes. It’s not a tax after all. Except in cases of war, calamity, or when there’s an emergency need for goods, I won’t be taking special taxes.”

They’ll be more motivated in making the flask should it be for selling and not for taxation.

Blacksmiths are precious personnel. I won’t be pressuring them or screwing them over.

Besides, I have enough stocks from those I received from King Rosyth and Bartolo. As for foreign goods, we’ll earn them through trading paper and honey.

Smiles float in the faces of the blacksmiths as they say “We’ll certainly do our best” and bid their exit.

“Hey, Almis.” (Tetra)

“Hmm? What is it?” (Almis)

“Would we have enough equipment for our new recruits?” (Tetra)

“Aren’t they enough? What’s costing us is the recruitment process which will take more time to complete. While we don’t have reserves, each one is guaranteed a gear.”

We also have the gear confiscated from King Ferrum’s army and the gear he kept in storage, after all. It’s kind of thanks to King Ferrum that we’re swimming in gear.

Besides, the kind of gear soldiers use in the Adernia Peninsula is basically the portable-type. So you can just exchange or swap away the gear that’s become excessively awful.

“At the very least, I’d want to collect nothing less than bronze equipment. Wooden shields are too much after all.” (Almis)

A lot of wooden shield wielding soldiers comically died from Gram’s arrows from the last battle. Wooden shields can’t defend from high-efficiency arrows.

“As for the armor, I’d prefer leather-based ones.” (Unsure, probably Almis)

“Bronze armor is heavy, after all. Also, what’s more important in battles is maneuverability.” (Probably Tetra)

You also need considerable strength when performing hoplite assaults. As expected, Leather armor would be desirable.

Well, our body strength is considerably higher since we are under the influence of my divine protection so we could still probably have some leeway when using bronze gear.

Come to think of it, how far does my divine protection extend? Although Julia said something about it being related to loyalty. Something around that value of that, huh?

At the very least, the lot from King Ferrum’s kingdom don’t hold any shred of loyalty to me. I could say the same for the refugees. It’s generally the kids (though they aren’t kids anymore now) I saved a long time ago who’s receiving the influence of my divine protection.

Wasn’t the first time my divine protection manifested when I saved Roswald? The kids then were still normal. This means that it began changing gradually around the time when we were around 10 to 14 years old. Therefore, at the very least, the divine protection’s influence should take at the minimum 4 years to take effect on someone. No, the children who’s always been together with me and the people from the Ars Clan should be different.

If you think about it… No… this shouldn’t work. I shouldn’t rely on divine protection. It’s a complicated matter, huh.

However, my physical ability right now is certainly much different than from when I was in the village. This means the hurdle on the divine protection affecting my physical ability and the hurdle on the divine protection spreading to everyone are different, right?

Besides, I don’t even know when the Ars Clan began to slowly gain loyalty to me.

“Almis? Are you still with me?” (Tetra)

“Ah! Sorry, sorry. I’m alive and kicking. I was just thinking, is all.” (Almis)

I guess it’s useless overthinking it. I don’t understand it yet, after all.